What is an institutional repositoryAn institutional repository (IR) is an online archive for collecting, preserving, and disseminating digital copies of the intellectual output of an institution, particularly a research institution.
An institutional repository can be viewed as a "...a set of services that a university offers to members of its community for the management and dissemination of digital materials created by the institution and its community members." For a university, this includes materials such as monographs, academic journal articles, both before (preprints) and after (postprints) undergoing peer review, as well as electronic theses and dissertations (ETDs).
An institutional repository might also include other digital assets generated by academics, such as administrative documents, course notes, learning objects, or conference proceedings (Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia)